Joyce Kilmer (Collins) Caldwell Obituary (1932 - 2018)

Joyce Kilmer Collins Caldwell, the second child of Alvin Collins and Johnnie Sewell, was born on November 6, 1932 in Mexia, Texas. She passed away at home on September 8th, 2018 at the age of 85, in Austin, Texas. Joyce spent her early education in the Catholic school system in Dallas, Texas. She was a member of the 1948 graduating class of Woodland High School in Mexia, Texas and attended Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, where she majored in Music Education and Piano Performance. Joyce came to Austin in 1953, where she remained for the rest of her life. She began her teaching career at the Texas Blind, Deaf, and Orphan School, thereafter becoming a music teacher in the Austin Independent School District, where she taught choir and music for 47 years in the public schools of Austin. Joyce was a member of St. Mary's Cathedral, the Austin Teachers' Organization and the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. She is survived by four sisters, DeLaurel Harley, Tanya Duncan, Tieri Collins, and Sherry Williams; one brother, James Collins; two children, Phyllis Poget and Matt Caldwell; and four grandchildren, Joanna, Meija, Ilori, and Pauline.